Technical Field
The present invention relates to shock detection with a vehicle at rest.
Related Art
In general, as a method of detecting a shock applied to a vehicle, there may be applied a method of mounting on the vehicle an acceleration sensor or a tactile sensor as a shock sensor. For example, JP2003-81074A discloses a method in which, when an acceleration detected by an acceleration sensor is higher than a preset threshold value, a shock applied to a vehicle is detected, and a brake mechanism is driven to control a braking force.
Here, in a fuel cell vehicle that uses, as energy, electric power generated by a fuel cell to drive a motor and travel, even when the vehicle is stopped and an ignition switch is off, the operation of the fuel cell system may be continued to perform processing (hereinafter referred to as “system stop processing”) such as a scavenging operation on the fuel cell. While the operation of the fuel cell system is continued for the scavenging processing, high-voltage power is continuously supplied to the fuel cell system, and a reaction gas is continuously supplied to the fuel cell. Hence, while the operation of the fuel cell system is continued, when a shock is applied to the vehicle by, for example, collision of another vehicle, it is preferable to detect the shock and take various measures such as interruption of the supply of the high-voltage power or interruption of the supply of the reaction gases.
However, since an acceleration sensor provided in a conventional general vehicle is used to detect a shock to the vehicle to operate a protective device such as a seat belt or an air bag, the acceleration sensor is not operated after an ignition switch is turned off. Hence, in order to detect a shock to the vehicle while the fuel cell system in the fuel cell vehicle is continuously operated to perform the system stop processing described above, it would be disadvantageously necessary to simply and newly mount a sensor, such as an acceleration sensor, for shock detection.
JP2003-81074A teaches that in a conventional vehicle, a shock is detected by an acceleration sensor and a brake mechanism is driven to control a braking force, but does not teach at all the detection of a shock when the acceleration sensor is not operated.